As for a part of articles transported from a manufacturing location to a consumed location, appropriate management of an environmental condition in temperature, humidity, vibration, gas, atmospheric pressure and others is required. For example, for the part of articles, food turned a condition unsuitable for consumption because of decomposition and a change of taste when the food is located in environment exposed to high temperature and low temperature can be given. In addition, for an example, food the quality of which is deteriorated when the food is located in environment exposed to high humidity and environment in which oxygen in the atmosphere exists can be given. Moreover, for an example, an article broken when vibration exceeding supposition is applied to the article can be given.
To cope with such a problem, a countermeasure such as putting an article to be an object in a sealed container when the article is transported or stored and managing temperature, humidity and vibration using an air conditioner in a transport container, a transport truck and a storage room is taken.
However, a managed range may deviate due to failure of the air conditioner, negligence of management and others. Then, to judge whether deviation occurs or not, the following devices and methods exist.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of applying a temperature-indicating member the color of which changes depending upon temperature to an article to be managed and reading a code shown by an adjacent bar code and color of the temperature-indicating member by a reader. Further, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of analyzing the read code and the read color data and estimating a temperature history. In addition, Patent Literature 1 also discloses a method of realizing the temperature-indicating member the color of which changes depending upon temperature.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a method of applying plural bar codes the respective color and uncolor of which change depending upon a temperature range to an article and reading only the single bar code depending upon temperature in reading. Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses a method of transmitting its read data to a computer for quality management.